"BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP"
hazardous_liquid Incident — — January 21, 2017
Incident Information
| Incident Date | January 21, 2017 |
| Operator | "BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP" |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 42.24180, -83.31918 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | "TANK, VESSEL, OR SUMP/SEPARATOR ALLOWED OR CAUSED TO OVERFILL OR OVERFLOW" |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,500 |
| Emergency Response | $14,000 |
| Other Costs | $1,280 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON JANUARY 21ST, 2017, A BUCKEYE EMPLOYEE WORKING AT THE DETROIT METRO TERMINAL DISCOVERED JET FUEL LEAKING FROM AN OBSERVATION CANISTER USED FOR M&QC. THE EMPLOYEE CLOSED THE VALVE TO STOP THE FLOW OF JET FUEL INTO THE CANISTER. ALL INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE COMPLETED. THE FUEL FILLED UP THE CONCRETE CONTAINMENT AREA AND MIGRATED TO THE CONTAINMENT DIKE, NONE OF WHICH MIGRATED OFF SITE. OSRO ARRIVED ON SITE AND CLEANED THE AREA BEFORE DETERMINING TO BE SAFE. THE CHECK VALVES THAT FAILED, CAUSING THE RELEASE, ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. 3/8/2017 THE RELEASE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS SPILL TO BE HUMAN ERROR. THE BUCKEYE EMPLOYEE OPERATING THE STATION AT THE TIME FAILED TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES AND LEFT THE FACILITY WITHOUT VERIFYING VALVE ALIGNMENT AFTER CHECKING FOR WATER IN THE JET FILTERS. THIS OPERATIONAL ERROR EXPOSED TWO CHECK VALVES TO TANK HEAD PRESSURE WHEN THE FACILITY SHUT DOWN. THE CHECK VALVES DID NOT PERFORM AS DESIGNED AND ALLOWED JET FUEL TO LEAK PAST THEM FILLING THE INSPECTION POT AND ULTIMATELY OVERFLOWING OUT OF THE TOP OF THE POT."
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.